March 18 - March 20
by Sheila Provencher
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Baghdad, Iraq

Thursday, March 18

SOLIDARITY WEEK

After last night’s terrible bombing, the day dawned sunny and warm, with a cool breeze. The bombing killed possibly 8 people, so we were more aware than usual of the risks of doing public witness. But today was a special day �- the day that many people from various human rights groups joined the Tahrir Square demonstration, and at the end, marched across Jumhuriyah Bridge to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the day was the simple fact that our Iraqi colleagues did attend in full force, despite the vulnerability, and expressed with great strength and determination their hopes for a more just Iraq. Their energy carried the day -� we were grateful to be along for the ride.

(Solidarity Week is a series of events coordinated by a number of human rights groups, including the Organization for Human Rights in Iraq, the Iraqi National Society for Human Rights, the National Association for the Defense of Human Rights, International Occupation Watch, Peace Volunteers, and CPT. The detainee issue was the focus for today.)

So, the usual small group of demonstrators at Tahrir Square swelled to more than 150 people, many of whom held banners, signs, and photos of detainees. Several Arab newspapers and television stations covered the event, as well as Japanese and Spanish press and the BBC.

It was an energetic and energizing experience. We realized later that people from more than twelve nations were there. Families of people imprisoned by US forces came from as far as Fallujah, Abu Ghraib, and Kerbala. Sunni, Shi’a, and Christian; young and old; people uniting, coming together. Lawyers, teachers, conscientious objectors tortured under Saddam, families, internationals — all asking for human rights for Iraqi detainees, asking for real democracy and freedom rather than increased mistrust, fear, and human rights abuses.

As we walked over the bridge, banners and photos held high, Husain led some of the chants, such as “No more violence! Respect Human Rights!” in Arabic and English. And several others just in Arabic. Hameed and Teresa, Sa’ad who suffered under the previous regime, and so many other friends met each other and walked together. Many cars honked and people gave “thumbs up” signs to the marchers. Construction workers several stories high in the bombed-out Iraqi Communications building waved encouragement. One man commented, “The workers, they always support the demonstrations!”

When we reached the barricades of the CPA checkpoint at the other side of the bridge, we stood across the street for some time, while various people led chants and spoke to press. At one point, because one international human rights worker began filming the checkpoint, soldiers from the base came across the street to find out what we were doing. Stewart, Le Anne, and a few other internationals spoke with them. After they returned to their post, we noticed that one soldier began filming the demonstration, especially the large banner that listed the names of all the organizations. Some of us waved to him in a friendly way.

After another brief march to accommodate the BBC (who had missed the first march), the group dispersed. As we were milling about at the end, I spoke to a couple of police officers who were watching. I wanted them to see the large photo of an Iraqi police officer who was detained with 83 other men from Abu Sifa. They actually knew him, and affirmed that he was a very good man. They seemed very concerned, accepted the flyers, and wished us well.

After a night of bombs and darkness, a day of new life and hope. Sattar, our translator, keeps saying that this work for justice is like walking a thousand-mile journey or climbing a high mountain. But together, as he says, we are taking the first steps.

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Friday, March 19

A strange feeling was in the air today. The sky was overcast, and a dust-and-rain-storm threatened right at 12:00, the beginning of the vigil time. Le Anne, Jane, and I came to Tahrir Square directly from the press conference that was the culmination of Solidarity Week. Right away, we wondered how long we would stay �- the weather was strange, we were three women with only one translator, and our usual friends who have come to be informal helpers and translators were not there today (probably because it is Friday, a holiday). Sattar affirmed this feeling by suggesting that we leave after one hour rather than two.

Still, the day held its gifts. Jane commented on the dynamic she experienced with a group of young men who stopped to ask her questions. As a former teacher, she recognized that they move from curiosity and even ridicule to serious questioning. “I had a great time, these young people are fantastic. They start out thinking it’s ridiculous, that it’s funny. Then someone asks a smart-aleck question. But then someone who has a bit of English asks a question that I can answer. And he translates it to his friends. And then they calm down a bit, and start asking more serious questions. Some persist in thinking it’s funny to see people like us standing with a banner in Tahrir Square. But others start to think seriously, and I can see them questioning. That’s all I ever hoped for with my students -� that I could challenge them with new ideas to consider, and that they would start thinking and questioning.”

In the crowds of young men, there are always some who are there just to stare at the young foreign women. It is frustrating. But many times, young men come forward to ask us questions, offer their own views, and encourage us to continue. Best of all are the times they ask how they can participate, and we can offer them several human rights organizations to choose from. We now have a running list of “vigil volunteers” �- people who want to get involved in human rights and who volunteer to help in any way. Countless invitations to villages, mosques, churches, and places in Baghdad where people want to share their stories. Every day, there are new “threads” to follow, as Jim used to say. Of course we cannot follow them all. But it is a gift for us simply to be in this space and to experience the energy, participation, and questioning.

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Saturday, March 20

The anniversary of the war’s beginning. Again we were a small group of vigilers �- Peggy, Jane, Matthew, and myself. But the energy of the crowd was palpable, and both Faris and Sattar were busy translating. Many friends returned -� little Haider bounded across the street to greet us, and held a banner for half the vigil. Azmar, the electric guitarist and philospher, held the other end of the banner and helped translate.

I had several very memorable experiences. First, a man from Fallujah (primarily a Sunni area) who has family in Sadr City (a Shi’a neighborhood in Baghdad’s poorest area) began talking about a new effort from various Muslim clerics to publicize the plight of women detainees. “This is the first time they have spoken publicly about it,” he said. “We are helping, to show that Sunni and Shi’a support each other.” He encouraged us to attend a demonstration next Friday about women detainees. Second, a young graduate of the psychology department from Mustansiriya University stopped to talk very seriously. He read the flyer carefully, and then wanted to dictate a letter to me, from the Iraqi people to the American people. The essence of the letter was this:

“We do not stand against the American people. I want you to know this especially for the Christian people. This is a declaration of our Muslim clerics �- both Sunni and Shi’a, they teach us not to stand against the people, but to speak against the American government. All Americans are our brothers in humanity. And we wish for all our brothers, people in the USA, regardless of their religion or gender, to please report our Iraqi voices to the people in charge of your administration. Your government’s actions right now are working to make the reputation of the US people bad all over the world. And I wish that you not neglect the voices of the Iraqi people. Please, people in the US, push your administration to change its policies in the Arab and Islamic world, so that peace prevails, for all people, Christians and Muslims.”

Finally, here are some reflections from Peggy, who shared in the vigil for the last time before going back to the US.

“On the last vigil I took part in, two days before I left, it was another intense time of sharing with the people that came by. I realized that I was getting real stressed, caught myself and prayed for love for the people here. For the rest of the time, I was more relaxed, but felt a heavy weight inside. There is so much pain here!

“Next to me, Sheila was talking to a man who had brought a detailed list of eight things, written in Arabic, that he wanted us to deal with. He said to her sternly, ‘You must listen to me too!’ He read a list of tragedies that had happened to him and his family during the Iran-Iraq war, the dictatorial regime, the first Gulf War, and since. One concerned a village where he lived that was destroyed, another concerned his parents and brother killed by the regime. He told her that CPT should not just stay in Baghdad, but must go to all of these other places and do something about them.

“‘I started to feel defensive, since we ARE going to many other places, but suddenly I knew that I had to listen,’ Sheila shared afterward. ‘I said a quick prayer for help. I tried to answer him, saying that all of these things are important, that terrible things had happened to Iraqis, that I wished God could give me the power to fix it all. At that point I surprised myself and everyone by starting to cry. And he started crying too. Everything became still, everyone was listening. We both had started out wanting to run form the pain, and ended up listening to each other, he stayed there with me. He kept nodding as I said that I am just one person, we are a small group, but I will do what I can, and I knew we would be working together.

“‘It was a moment of communion. We both knew that we would pray for each other and for peace and healing in Iraq.’”

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Sheila Provencher
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Baghdad, Iraq
sheila_prov@hotmail.com